TOLEDO, Ohio — A man who Toledo police claim has taken responsibility for killing his mother was indicted for murder Tuesday.
Travis Lewton, 31, was indicted on one count each of aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, aggravated robbery, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.
The body of Lewton's mother, 71-year-old Nancy Lewton, was found in a wooded area behind their south Toledo home Oct. 1, by officers dispatched to check on her safety, Toledo police claim.
Nancy Lewton was visiting her best friend in Florida a few days earlier and when family members couldn't get ahold of her when she returned home, they called the police.
According to court documents, Travis Lewton told detectives he attacked his mother after she came home and choked her until she stopped breathing.
Lewton said he then took the body to a ravine behind his house before setting the body on fire and stuffing it in a sewer pipe. He also told detectives he had been thinking about killing his mother for about a week.
MORE CRIME HEADLINES FROM WTOL 11:
Want more from WTOL 11?
➡️ Download the WTOL 11 news app for Apple here or get it in the Google store here.
➡️ Get a fresh start to your morning and wrap up your day with the latest news and your WTOL 11 Weather forecast delivered right to your inbox!
WTOL 11's Your Morning Blast and Your Evening Blast deliver stories from northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan and beyond to keep you informed.
Click here to get on the list!